Nominated for three Oscars in 2004 for its gorgeous art direction, costumes, and cinematography, as well as racking up awards from festivals and critics, this film imagines the relationship between Dutch painter Johannes Vermeer (Colin Firth) and the model for one of his most famous paintings, Girl with a Pearl Earring. Scarlett Johansson stars as 17-year-old Griet, who works as a maid in the Vermeer household to support her family. While he becomes fascinated with her beauty and intelligence, she becomes equally drawn to the artist and the mystery of his craft. But her beauty has also inspired the jealousy of Vermeer's wife, and the attention of a powerful merchant, who wishes Vermeer to make him a portrait of Griet.